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Special Exhibitions at Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tell the story of 17th-century Virginia—a true story and a fascinating one. Come check out these special exhibitions at Jamestown Settlement.
Learn about the birth of America in the very place where these events actually happened, from the arrival of the English colonists at Jamestown in 1607 to the encounters that shape our nation’s history. Through films, indoor gallery exhibits and outdoor living history, immerse yourself in the world of Jamestown, America’s first permanent English colony.
Take a look at the lineup of events happening this summer in this very special living history museum.
Juneteenth
June 19 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Commemorate Juneteenth, a celebration that marks the end of slavery in the United States. In this thought-provoking 90-minute outdoor program of performance, music and dance, meet African Americans from three centuries who fought against those laws until freedom came. This program is included with museum admission, and tickets to this special program must be purchased in advance to reserve a seat.
July 4 @ 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This Fourth of July, join the folks at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown for the 245th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. To mark the occasion, the museum is offering a special lineup of interpretive programs, artillery demonstrations and outdoor recreations. Learn about the challenges that faced our nation’s founders, including those who signed the Declaration of Independence, as well as those for whom the new nation’s rights of freedom and liberty did not yet apply.
In addition to special exhibits and programming, you can always come and see the following permanent exhibits that are open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Archaeological findings at a site near Jamestown along the James River have revealed evidence of Paspahegh Indians, the Powhatan tribal group closest to Jamestown, as well as descriptions and illustrations recorded by English colonists in the 17th century. These valuable findings have helped recreate a Paspahegh town, complete with crops, cooking circles, a ceremonial circle of carved wooden posts, and reed-covered houses. Interact with costumed historical interpreters, who demonstrate how the Powhatan people grew and prepared food, made tools and pottery, and more.
Jamestown Settlement Ships
Along the shores of the James River, see re-creations of the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607. Climb aboard to learn about each of the wooden ships’ square-rigged masts, tonnage and cargo, as well as shipboard life for the 104 men and boys who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean.
Whether on the pier or on the main deck, historical interpreters share the four-and-a-half-month voyage from England in December 1606 to Jamestown in May 1607, and periodically demonstrate knot-tying, sail-raising, and 17th-century piloting and navigation.
James Fort
Inside the triangular wooden fence of the re-created 1610-14 fort are wattle-and-daub structures topped with thatch roofs depicting dwellings, as well as an Anglican church, a court of guard, a storehouse and a governor’s house.
Watch and interact with historical interpreters as they forge and repair metal objects in a blacksmith’s forge and show how matchlock muskets are fired.
In addition, interpreters occasionally produce wood and leather products using 17th-century-style tools, engage in domestic activities such as sewing and meal preparation and, outside the fort, cultivate food and tobacco crops.
We hope you get the chance to check out some of these special exhibitions at Jamestown Settlement! Let us know what you think in the comments below.